1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid storage container such as a water bottle, a canteen, a flask, etc. for carrying water or various beverages during hikings, trips, etc. or a container for storing a liquid to be provided in a machine or an apparatus such as an ink reserve tank or a waste ink tank in an ink jet recording apparatus, and also to an apparatus provided with the liquid storage container.
2. Related Background Art
Previously known liquid storage containers such as water bottles, etc. have such a structure that a cap is engaged with a pouring opening provided at the top of the container and a packing, etc. is provided at the sealing interface between the cap and the pouring opening. However, the liquid contained in the container is in vigorous movement while the container is carried, the liquid may directly hit the cap and permeate into the packing at the sealing interface under the prevailing pressure, and ultimately a liquid leakage may take place at the cap.
An example of an apparatus provided with such a liquid storage container is an ink jet recording apparatus with a liquid ink, where a waste ink tank is provided as a kind of the liquid storage container for collecting the ink from the ink discharge nozzles in a recording head by suction or leakage. The waste ink tank generally has such a structure that a pouring opening is provided at the top of the container and a plug provided with a tube is tightly engaged with the pouring opening. However, the conventional liquid storage container such as the waste ink tank, etc. has the problem that, while the liquid storage container is transported, irrespective of being provided in the apparatus or detached from the apparatus, the liquid contained in the container is put into vigorous movement to directly hit the tube connection at the top of the container, so that the liquid may flow back through the tube or may leak through the engaged joint, causing pollution of the apparatus and the surrounding environment.
To prevent such backflow or leakage, a check valve or an air vent has been provided on the liquid storage container or the tube, but the problems have not been completely solved in contrast to the additional parts and labor thus required.